rustdesk
by rustdesk
RustDesk is a remote desktop application that lets you view and control another computer over the internet. You can use the free relay server or host your own, as an alternative to TeamViewer or AnyDesk.
- Stars
- 127.7k
- Licence
- AGPL-3.0
- Runs on
- Your computer
- Setup
- Easy
- Language
- Rust
- Age
- 2223 days
What you can do with it
- Connect to and control a colleague's or client's computer from anywhere
- Host your own relay server so remote sessions stay under your control
- Use it on Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS for remote support
Could replace
- TeamViewer
- AnyDesk
Our suggestion based on what it does, not a feature-by-feature comparison.
Make money with it
An individual could offer paid remote IT support or maintenance to small businesses, using their own RustDesk server to avoid remote-access licence fees.
An idea, not financial advice. Check the licence before charging for anything built on it.
Ways a business could use it
- Give remote IT support to staff or clients without paying per-seat TeamViewer licences
- Access an office or home computer remotely to work from anywhere
Can you use it commercially?
Free to use. Anything you distribute that includes it must be open-sourced under the same licence. Running it as an online service also counts, so a hosted version must offer its source.
Not legal advice. Read the project's licence file before building a product on it.
Getting it running
Download a ready-made binary from the releases page, F-Droid or Flathub; building from source needs Rust, vcpkg and system libraries, and a self-hosted server is optional.
Follow the official instructions in the project README.
Things to check
- AGPL-3.0 licence has obligations if you modify and offer it as a service
- Remote access tools can be misused, so use strong passwords and only connect with permission
- Some advanced features may be part of a paid commercial offering
Who's talking about it
Checked 31 Oct 2026. Summary drafted by AI from the project's README.
